The present invention generally relates to devices for practicing golf putting strokes. More particularly, the invention concerns a novel putting practice device in the form of a putting disc that serves as an alignment tool during putting as well as a movable target for practicing the targeting and execution of such strokes in various locations on a surface.
Putting accuracy is a critical measure of a player""s success in golf. While golf ball driving accuracy is an important factor in moving the ball over the several hundred yards that may have to be traversed to reach a green, the number of strokes required on the green to sink the golf ball in the cup, and thereby complete the hole, each count equally in stroke scoring. Accordingly, golfers spend a significant amount of time practicing their putting technique. One practice method involves putting on a practice green that is fashioned with suitable grass and holes marked with flags. Typically, a practice green has varying contours across its surface and several holes, thus permitting a golfer to drop practice balls at different locations within or near the green""s perimeter and practice strokes as a function of distance to the cup, degree of green incline, and contour of the green incline.
Despite the availability of putting greens, these areas are often set up with semi-permanent cup locations (the cups have been set into the ground below surface level) and thus a player is prevented from selecting exact target locations for practice. In addition, the practice areas do not permit the golfer to perfectly simulate a put on a course""s green, as the practice areas are typically not equivalent in dimension or conditions to the actual greens of a given course. In addition, practice greens can become crowded, and thus the inherent space constraints of such areas may not permit sufficient practice or the completion of a satisfactory practice session.
It is known that movable cups may be used to practice putting. Many such devices have been developed, but the design of these devices often interferes with the normal progression of the golf ball during a stroke. For instance, the geometry of the movable cup may prevent the realistic simulation of golf ball behavior when the ball reaches the vicinity of the cup. Such devices may not mimic the behavior of a cup that has been recessed into the ground, and thus a putted ball may not fall into the cup as expected, or scatter away from it as expected due to improper ball speed or aim. Thus, such devices may render a golfer""s practice stroke too easy or too difficult, and thus may not serve as a productive tool for improving a player""s performance.
One known portable golf putting cup is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,487,545 to Schindler. The cup has a circular base and an upwardly curved outer wall which builds resistance as the golf ball climbs the wall before dropping into a circular depression. The cup also includes an angled-shock-absorbing lip, golf-ball-gripping teeth, reclining inner walls, and shock-absorbing material.
Another golf ball receiver is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,997,406 to Selton. The golf ball receiver includes an annular wall and a cavity for receiving a golf ball. A force absorbing member is disposed within the cavity for absorbing the force of the golf ball when the golf ball enters the cavity. U.S. Pat. No. 1,287,903 to Daily also discloses a putting disk in the form of a truncated cone-like member with a circular periphery and a central depression or opening that acts as the receptacle for a ball. The annular surface between the periphery of the disk and the central receptacle is concave and parabolic. A spike may be provided for anchoring the putting disk to the ground.
In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 5,779,567 to Durso discloses a training method for golfers. A portably-sized, substantially flat web material having a dark color so as to be easily discernable is provided with an internal target such as a circular hole that has a diameter approximate or equal to the diameter of a standard golf course putting green hole. The flat web material has a transverse dimension of about one-half foot to about three feet.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,435,560 to Kehoe also discloses a golf putting and chipping target. The target includes a thin, flexible circular disk with a centrally located, solid, dark colored circle surrounded by a contrasting, light colored border. The dark colored circle simulates a conventional golf hole. The target further includes a 17 inch long strip of adhering material for measuring this known distance from the disk to determine whether a put at optimum speed would stop within that distance behind the disk.
Despite these developments, there remains a need for a practice putting target that is convenient to carry, anchor, and use at a variety of locations. In addition, there exists a need for a practice putting device that can be used to closely simulate a regulation putting cup so that golf ball movement in the vicinity of the device is similar to golf ball movement in the vicinity of a regulation cup. There further exists a need for a practice putting device in the form of a putting disc that includes alignment indicia, multiple anchor points, and a slot for accommodating a band for attachment of the disc to another object such as a golf bag.
The invention relates to a target for practicing golf strokes, the target including a substantially circular member with a top surface and a bottom surface. The member includes a ramp portion with an outer edge and an inner edge, and a substantially flat central portion disposed within the inner edge of the ramp portion. The member further includes a plurality of stake holes, at least one elongate hole, and a plurality of alignment indicia. At least one of the alignment indicia is disposed about a diameter of the circular member.
In one embodiment, at least two stake holes are disposed about a common axis, and the stake holes are configured and dimensioned to receive golf tees. The alignment indicia may be disposed on the top surface or bottom surface of the member. At least one elongate hole is configured and dimensioned to receive a luggage band.
The ramp portion is disposed at an angle of between about 5xc2x0 and about 60xc2x0 with respect to the plane of the bottom surface. In some embodiments, the ramp portion is disposed at an angle of between about 20xc2x0 and about 40xc2x0 with respect to the plane of the bottom surface, and the ramp portion may be disposed at an angle of about 30xc2x0 with respect to the plane of the bottom surface. The circular member has a diameter of between about 3.6 inches and about 4.6 inches. In some embodiments, the circular member has a diameter of about 4.25 inches. The central region of the member may be vertically separated by about 0.04 inch to about 0.08 inch from the inner edge, and in some embodiments the central region is vertically separated by about 0.06 inch from the inner edge.
The target also may include a flat edge extending along a portion of the outer edge. A flat face may extend from the flat edge, with the flat face being disposed generally perpendicular to the top surface. When the diameter of the circular member intersects the outer edge at two points, the length of the flat edge is between about 20% and about 30% of the length of the diameter, and may be about 25% of the length of the diameter. The flat edge additionally may be disposed generally perpendicular to at least one alignment indicia.